Summary: Dentsply Sirona and Smile Train are expanding cleft care access in underserved Asian communities through equipment donations and oral health kits. They’ve donated advanced dental equipment to improve cleft care and will distribute 300 oral health kits in the Philippines and India as part of their ongoing 5-year partnership.

Takeaways:

  • Equipment Donations: Dentsply Sirona donated advanced dental equipment to Smile Train partners, enhancing cleft care capabilities in the Philippines.
  • Oral Health Kits: 300 oral health kits will be distributed to cleft patients and families across the Philippines and India.
  • Ongoing Partnership: The initiative builds on a successful 5-year partnership that aims to improve access to cleft care for underserved communities.

Dentsply Sirona and Smile Train are expanding access to cleft care for underserved communities in Asia.

The long-time partners are seeking to improve access to and quality of cleft care through equipment donations to Smile Train partners’ centers and the distribution of oral health kits to patients, starting later this year. The effort is the latest venture to come out of the 5-year partnership between Dentsply Sirona and Smile Train.

Dentsply Sirona Equipment Donations

To help improve cleft care for patients in the Philippines, Dentsply Sirona has donated two Primescan Connect intraoral scanners and an Orthophos S 3D extraoral x-ray imaging system, with a Primeprint 3D printer to be delivered later this year.

This equipment was gifted to Noordhoff Craniofacial Foundation Philippines, Inc, (NCFPI) in Manila, one of Smile Train’s regional Cleft Leadership Centers. NCFPI is a non-profit organization that has been providing comprehensive cleft care to patients from underserved communities with cleft and craniofacial anomalies since 2006.

Oral Health Kits

In addition, Dentsply Sirona will begin distributing 300 oral health kits to Smile Train partners’ centers across the Philippines and India to be given to cleft patients and their families. The kits include a toothbrush, toothpaste, dental floss, a timer, as well as a flyer with information on how to achieve and maintain oral health. The oral health kits were assembled by the Dentsply Sirona APAC Leadership team, while Dentsply Sirona employees wrote personalized get-well messages to go with them.

Previous Cleft Care Work

The initiative is a repeat of last year’s outreach project which saw Dentsply Sirona leadership teams and employees assemble 500 oral health kits which Smile Train subsequently handed out to patients in its partners’ facilities in Brazil, Mexico and Colombia.

“As we celebrate our 25th anniversary this year, Smile Train is delighted to have found a partner in Dentsply Sirona who is as passionate about smiles as we are,” said Mamta Carrol, senior vice president and regional director, Asia for Smile Train. “Our joint work is beneficial to the cleft community and individuals born with facial differences. It also makes the work of the healthcare professionals who treat cleft affected individuals easier. We are looking forward to many more achievements in the future.”